Improvement in pebmutatiok-locks



N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C i L, i

@num-- taies gattini @Hirn Letters Patent No. 82,192, dated :Septemher1K5, 1868.

IMPRovsMBT IN -PBRMUTATIoN-Locxs.

therlzshulz feierten tu iii tiutyittm @anni enh mating gmt nf the same.

T0 ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that I, LINUS YALE, Jr., of Shelburne Falls, Franklin county,and State of Massachusetts,

rhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks'for Safe,Vault, and other Doors; and Ido hereby declare l'that the following is afull, clear, andexuct description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying.

drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 isafront elcvation'of my improved lock. Figure 2, e. back elevation, withthe back plate and one ofthe tumblercases removed, the better to exhibitthe other working parts. I l

' Figure 3, a partial elevation and .vertical-section through thecentre.

Figure 4, a palen of one of the tumbler-cases and tumbler-s. Figure 5, ahorizontal section through on-e of the tumblers. Figure 6, a side viewof oneof the racks and spring o. Figure 7, a. face view ofthe hub q'.Figure 8, a vertical section -of the same. Figure 9, a vertical sectionof the separate lock. Figure 10, a hcrizontal'section thereof; and lFigure 11, a. face view of the key of this separate lock. The sameletters indicate like parte in all the figures.v In the accompanyingdrawingsa `representsthe lock-case, secured to a door, a portion ofwhich only is represented. i It is very important, in securing a.dial-lock to the door, to have the shaft or spindle, by which thetumblers are set, to work freely. If the cn'se is strained or bent infastening it, by reason of the case not having a. fair bearing againstthe door, the works are liable to bind, instead of working freely, and,as such locks are usedon v safes, and are necessarily of considerableweight, and the fastening-screws cannot be fitted very accurately, in

transportation the lock settlesdown, and thereby'binds the shaft orspindle. `All these a'nd otherdiiicultien.

not necessary to enumerate, Ivhave avoided'by s. new method of applyingthe lock-case to the door.

I employ two cylindrical pins bb, which are accurately fitted to holesin the lockplate. After ascertaining vthe required position of the lock,these pins, which I term steady-pins, are rmly secured in the door, andthe lock slipped'onto them. These'pns, therefore, not only prevent thelock from -settling down` or movi/ng later ally on the door, but aox'dthe means ofreplacin'g the lock inthe same'position, when taken offforany needful purpose.

the fastening-screws are driven home, the case will be strained, and the-shaft or spindle'forced out of line, either or all of which will impedethe working ofthe lock. 'llo avoid this, I employ four Abearinglscrews cc c o, one near each cornerof the case, and tapped in and passingthrough the plate of the lock. 'After the lock-case-has been put on thesteady-pins, and -iagainst the doen, andthe shaft or spindle put inplace, these bearingscrews are turned until they all bear against thedoor, and bring the lock yin such relation to the door that the shaft orspindle will worl freely. The lock xs-then secured to the door by thefour fastening-screws d d d.

The lock, as before stated, belongs to the class known as dial-locks, inwhich the tumblers are set by turning a shaft or spindle by adial, to agiven combinatiomafnd, after-the tumblers havelbeen set,fthrowing 'thef,bolt by thel turning of the same shaft or spindle; and o ne ofthefeatures of my presentinvention consists in combining, with onelock-bolt, two sets of independent tumblersaljtheir appendages, and=twoknobs, 'each of which sets one set of tumbler-s, and, when theyare,properlysedfcffon the bolt, so that'the bolt .can be locked by both,and may be opened by either.' 'In this wey, notwithstanding the bolt has-been locked bytwo sets of, tumblers, each set under n dierentcombination, if thecOmlination of one setshould be forgotten, it can beunlock'ed by the other knob Anudite setcf tumbler-s.,

It is also important that the lock-case should haven. fair bearingagainst the-face off'the door, or else, when g tion, and thereby acquirethe means of unlocking the door. l To pl'eventthis Ihave combined withthe removable tumbler-ease a means of readily locking thetumbler-ease inthe tubular projection w of the lockplatleso that it cannot be removedexcept by violence, or by picking the lock used for that purpose,neither` of which expedients cohld be resorted to in business-hours.

A notch is formed in the outer periphery of the tumbler-case`to receivethe end of a spring-latch rod, y. This rod is cylindrical, with a squareend, and is oblique, so that its square end will present an obliquesurface, so that, in pushing in the tumbler-case, the latch-rod will beforced out and spring backlito lock the case as soon as the notch isbrought to the right place, and this will also insure the right positionof the tumbler-case. This latch-rod slides in a hole, e, (see dottedlines in iig. 2,) and is provided with a helical spring, 'the tension ofwhich tends constantly to force it into place. Near the other end it isformed with a notch or shoulder, al, which can be acted upon by an arm,bl, from the rear end of a shaft, c1, fittedt'o turn in a case, all,attachedv to the lock-frame. This shaft di is formed with a longitudinalslit, el, torreceive a small dat key, f', (see iig. 11,) one edgerofwhich is formed to act upon a series of tumhlers, g', which slideradially in holes vin the said shaft, and w'h'ich, in the normalposition, corresponds with other holes in the case d', provided withcorresponding tumblers, it', adapted to slide therein, and provided withsprings, which tend to force them intothe holes of the cylinder, andwhen extending into such holes completely lock the shaft, so that itcannot be turned to unlock the tumbler-case.

When the keyf is inserted, its form is such as to slide the two setsoftumblers g and L', so that the shaft can be turned by the key to drawout the latch-rod y to liberate the tumbler-ease v. i The tumbler-caseoand the tubular projection w have mortises through theirI peripheries toallow the `fence 7' t'o reach the peripheries of the tumblers, and toenter the slots in them when in position for throwing the bolt of thelock.

Each series of tumblers is operated by a knob, formed with a largelanch, on which one hundred divisions are marked, and this is surroundedby a ring, j', secured .to the outer face of the door, with a mark orpointer at lc as the starting-point from which the knob is to be turnedto workout the required combination for locking and unlocking the bolt.This knob is cast hollow, of a cylindrical form inside, and tapped toreceive the part Z of the spindle, which is threaded along so much ofits length as to adapt the spindle to doors of various thicknesses.

The threaded part of the spindle and the tubular part of the knob aregrooved longitudinally to receive a key, m', which is driven in afterthe knob has been screwed on to the spindle to `the required distance tosuit the thickness of the door to which the lock is to be applied, andwhich acts as a feather.

The portion Z of the spindle which is connected directly withthe knob,is made of cast iron, or other metal or composition of less strengththan steel, of which the other .portion of the spindle is made, and thesteel portion is connected therewith by a short stem tapped into it, asatn. The object is to makethe part of the spindle which is connecteddirectly with the knob, and which can be got hold of if the knob shouldbe removed, so much weaker than the steel portion, that if any violentforce berapplied, it will break -oil` from the portion which is inconnection with the inside of the lock. v And to this end I prefer -tomake the weak portion hollow, as represented.

The portion o of this spindle is made of hardened steel, so that itcannot be drilled to get access to the inside of the lock, and it hasbeen found that the hardening renders it'hrittle and liableto break atthe junction of the journal portion, which is tted to turn in thelock-plate, and the 4enlarged portion which is outside the lock, andwhich is so enlarged to resist any a-ttempt by violenc'e to force itinto the lock. The liability of breaking I prevent by rounding off themetal at the junction of the two parts, as at p', instead of making asharp angle, as heretofore. I

The inner end of the spindle is reduced in diameter, and tapped toreceive a hub, q', of the wheel s, before described, which, when inplace, is prevented from turningbya screw, r', which feathersthespindle. On the end of this hub nearest the lock-plate, is formed thewheel s, before referred to, which rolls on the eccentricwheel 'r of thefence-lever, One-half ofthe thickness of this wheel has the peripheryconcentric, and the other half of the thickness has hall` thecircumference concentric, and the other half, s, eccentric or cam-like.The spindle has an end-play equal to about half the thickness of thiswheel, so that when the knob is pushed against the door, theeccentric-roller r ofthe fence-lever will ride on the concentric part ofthe wheel s for the purpose already described, and when the knob isdrawn out to the extent of the play of the spindle, the roller 1 willthen act on the eccentric part s, so that when the eccentric or cam-likeportion s passes over the cccentric-roller lr, it will permit thefence-lever, and the rack connected therewith, to be thrown up by itsspring to liberate the lock-bolt.

On that face of the wheel s nearest vthe lock-plate thereis a projectingspur, t', which acts on the lockbolt to throw it in or out, when theeccentric or cam-like portion of the wheel permits the rack to bedisengaged from the pinion on the lock-bolt. v

There isa concentric hole, u', in the inner end of the spindle, toreceive the end of the arbor u, before described, on which the tumblersrotate, so that the axes of the tumblers and of the spindle shall alwaysbe in line, whatever freedom of play may be given to the spindle.

The tumblers are rotated by a spur, o', which projects from the innerface o f the hub q on the spindle, and the projection of this spurissuch that, when the spindle is drawn out by the knob in the position forthrowing thclock-bolt, it (the spur) shallA clear the tumblers, and onlyengage them when the spindle is pushed in, and, as in some instances,the spur might be in line with that portion of the tumbler on which itis required to act when rotated; in pushing in the spindle, the spur insuch instances would come in conflict with such part of the tumbler anddo injury. To prevent this, the spur o is a rod fitted to slide in ahole through the hub, and parallel with the axis of the spindle, and aspring, w', is attached tothe hub, and bearsagainst the 4 cndof the spurto keep it in the required position, but so that it shall permit thespurto yield when brought into contact with the tumbler, and to force itout again so soon as, by the rotation, it clears that partiof the'tumbler on .which it is required to aciL I l u The first tumbler in theseries nearest the hub of the spindle is the one which is turned and setby the turning ofthe knob. In that face of it which is nearest thespindle it is formed with an annular recess, fr', and

on its hub is mounted what I term a ily, y', (see iigs. 3 and 4,) whichisfree to vibrate to the extentr limited by. the space between two stopsz on the 'face of the tumbler. The tumbler is turned in eitherdirection, by the i spur v on the hub off the spindle, when rotated,acting against the fly either on one side'or the other, according to thedirection in which the knob is rotated. A y' The breadth'of the ily, thelimit of its range of vibration on the tumbler, and the thickness of thespur o on the hub of the spindle, mustrbe such,as represented, so thatin whichever direction the knob may berotated, starting from adetermined point, and whether turning to the right or to the left, theslot, a, of the tumbler will always bebrought in line with and so as'toreceive the fence. It will be observed that if the spur on the hub acton a fixed spur on the tumbler, although the turning of the knob in onedirection would 'give a com- -plete revolution after contact of the twospurs, the turning of the knob one entire revolution in the oppositedirection would turn the tumbler as much more than one revolution aswould be equal to the thickness of the two spurs, but by givingtherequired play to the ily or movable spur on. the tumbler, the onecomplete revolution of the knob in either direction will give only therequired complete revolution to the tumbler.

As the slot in each tumbler for receiving the fence renders that part ofthe circumference of the tumbler lighter, land the tumblers are requiredto be made so as to turn freely in the block, it follows, that byrepeated jars and concussions, the tumbler-s will be caused to rotateuntil the slots of all the tumblers will be above the axis, and allvinline, and from this position a skilled person could readily determinethe combination by which to open the lock. To prevent this, I eitherbalance each tumbler by cutting out themetal ofthe ring, as at b2 (seefig. 5,)'on the side of the axis opposite to the slot for the fence, orI so cut outthe metal at other parts of the circle, and at differentdistances from the slot, for the fence in each of the series. And withreference to the latter case, it i-s immaterial whether the part so cutout be or be not equal in weight tothe metal cut out to form the slotfor the fence, as the preponderance oi weight in each will bear adifferent vrelation to the fence, and the process of knocking or jarringcan only have the eiect oi'disconcerting the tumblers instead of gettingthe slots of all of them in line, if made as heretofore. And it will beobvious from the foregoing that the required resultcan be obtainedeither by cutting away the metal to reduce the weight where too heavy,or by adding weight where too light.

'Each of the tumblers in the series is provided, like the one described,with a vibrating ily, and each, exceptthe last, is provided with a. spurto act on the ily of the next one'in the series, so that each sets theone behind. it, and the spindle sets the first, in manner well known topersons lacquainted with this class of combination-locks. I i

The face of each of the tumblers is, like the dial on the knob, 'markedwith one hundred divisions, and for the purpose of changing thecombination it is necessary that the position of' the vibrating ily, orrather the stops which limit its vibrations, should be capable of beingshifted to any of the divisions on the face of the tumbler. For thispurpose each tumbler is made in two concentric parts.- i Y The part, t,on which the divisions are marked, and in which the slot for the fenceis m'ade, is a dat ring, and the part c2, to which the vibrating ily andits stops are attached, is a disk {itted to its inner periphery, se asto turn in it.v The periphery of the inner portion c2, about the middleof its thickness, is formed with teeth all around, and in the cavity ofthe ring is placed a small, brake, cl2, which bears on the toothedperiphery of the inner portion, andis provided with corresponding teeth,the form of which will permit the one partof the tumbler to be turned onthe other, for the vpurpose of changing the combination, and, when thechange has been eected, the'two parts are set and prevented fromturning, the one on the other, by a small set-screw, e, which isinserted through the periphery of the ring, and which is made to bear onthe brake to force it into contact with the teeth to lock the two parts.This mode of construction admits of readily changing the combination,and, when changed, of holding the parts, so that the combination cannotbe accidentally shifted.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isv l. The method of adjusting the lock to and connecting it with thedoor by means of the steady-pins and bearing-screws, substantially asdescribed, in combination with the fasteni'ngsscrews, or the equivalentfastening, as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the lock-bolt, two sots of rotating tumblers andtheir appendages, each set operated by one spindle, which also acts uponthe bolt and the racks connected with the fence of the tumblers, andcapale oi' being thrown separately in and out of gear with the pinion onthe lock-bolt, substantially as and for the purpose specified.. i

`3. The rack, or its equivalent, to stop or liberate the lock-bolt, whencombined with the fence of the tumbiers, by means oiA an interposedspring, or equivalent, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. Combining the eccentric-roller, which is acted upon by a wheel orequivalent on the spindle, with the fence of the` tumblers by avibrating lever, or equivalent therefor, having a spring orequivalentinterposed between it and the fence, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

5. Balancing the tumblers, or, as the equivalent thereof, disconcertingthe preponderating weight relatively vto the slots for the fence,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A sliding and rot-ating spindle, which both shoots the bolt andrevolves the tumblers, as described, and is provided with a cylindricalcavity1 as specified, in combination with a stationary arbor ci greaterlength than the space occupied by the pack of tumblers, and projectinginto the cylindrical cavity of the spindle, the comf bination beingsubstantially such as hereinbef'ore set forth.

7. Combining, with' the case which contains the tumblers, and which isfitted to lthe tubular projection from the lock-frame, so that it can beinserted therein and removed therefrom for the purpose-of changing thecombination, a spring-bo1t or latch controlled by a. separate lock,substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. Making the knob hollow and threaded on the inside to receive thethreaded portion of the spindle to such an extent that it can be fittedto. doors of various thicknesses, and then prevented from turning, theone on the other, by a feather-key, as described.

LINUS YALE, JR. Witnesses:

ANDREW DE LACY, WM. H. BISHOP.

